


Should I Grab My Stuff?

by Haleymacb



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff, I don't know what else to tag, I guess I mean it starts off in a coffee shop, M/M, Single Parent Connor, he is trying his best okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-08-03 21:48:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16333844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haleymacb/pseuds/Haleymacb
Summary: A little girl, a musician, and a single dad walk into a coffee shop. Unfortunately, nothing humorous comes out of it.





	1. Threadbare Coats and Coffee Shop Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan meets an unusual customer.

When a little girl came barrelling into Isak’s Bistro, a few key thoughts went through Evan’s mind, the first of which being, _‘Why is there a kid running around at half past nine?’_ Evan couldn’t recall any of the regulars having children, and even if they did, said children wouldn’t be, like, four years old. 

While it was indeed probable that a new customer had come in-- after all, it wasn’t like Evan would be able to tell from his view on the stage-- the likelihood of that was quite slim. Isak’s Bistro was something of a hole-in-the-wall, a place that, if you weren’t looking for it, you’d probably never find. Considering the time of night and the flakes of snow drifting down outside, there was really no way a new customer was coming in anytime soon. _‘Which of course begs the question, who is this kid, and what is she doing here?’_

Evan stepped off the stage and descended into the crowd. The girl sat in a booth by the window, clumps of snow falling off her boots as she swung her legs beneath the table.

“Hey, kid.” The girl ignored him. “Hey, um, are you lost?” She looked up at him then, piercing blue-brown eyes staring into his own.

“Nope.” As Evan drew closer, she shifted to the middle of the seat, almost like she was giving him an invitation to sit down. 

“Oh? Well then, what brings you around here? Your parents regulars?” Evan slid into the seat across from her, worn leather squeaking in protest. The girl shook her head, causing short brown curls to whip around her face.

“I just like hearing you play.” Well, that certainly wasn’t the response he was expecting. How she had formed a solid opinion on his work was a mystery, though not the most pressing one as Evan quickly realized.

“Where are your parents? Do they know where you are?” 

“Nope. He’s sleeping.”

“Your dad?”

“My dad.” Evan glanced outside, perhaps hoping for some sign of this kid’s dad, however all he could see were heavy, white flakes swirling in the air. _‘Maybe you should ask her name.’_

Oh yeah. 

Right.

Probably a good idea.  


“What’s your name?”

“Lanny.” 

“Okay.” This was getting him nowhere. Kid barely talked, and when she did, all she gave were one word answers and piercing stares.

“What’s your name?” Her deadpan voice startled Evan from his thoughts. The girl-- or Lanny-- fiddled with a napkin on the table, ripping it into tiny pieces, and then sweeping the pieces into a pile.

“My name’s Evan. Evan Hansen.”

“Nice name.”

“Thanks.” Lanny blew gently on her napkin pieces, causing them to scatter across the table. She picked up a piece and examined it, rolling it between her fingers, before flicking it on to the floor. Evan realized he could see the individual bones in her fingers, the skin drawn tightly over her knuckles as she picked at excess paper stuck underneath her nail.

“How old are you?”

“Five.” Lanny shifted in her seat, her threadbare coat sliding down her narrow shoulders. She was looking at something behind him. Evan turned and followed her gaze to the black clock of the wall. 9:42. Just over 15 minutes before closing time. He really ought to pack up his stuff, after all, he had a shift at the bookstore the next day. If he was late for his shift, who knew what his boss would say. _‘Would he be disappointed? He’d probably be disappointed. I’ve already taken four days off in the past month, he’s probably annoyed by me. What if I lose my job over this? My god, that would royally--’_

“Hey! Did you not hear a word I said?” Lanny’s voice grabbed Evan’s attention once again. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Lanny sighed dramatically, draping her arm over her eyes as she leaned back into the booth.

“I said could you drive me home? I live kinda far from here and I wanna be back before 10:30.” Evan was hesitant to say the least. After all, he was just worried about being late for work, and taking a kid home in a snowstorm would definitely be time consuming. 

“...Please?” Well shit, now he can’t say no. For a kid who's only been unnerving since he started talking to her, she sure knew how to be persuasive. Evan looked back at the clock. 9:44. Being delayed a few minutes wouldn’t kill him, right? _‘It absolutely would. Wait, no, shut up.’_ Evan’s eyes fell back on to Lanny. Lanny, who’s wearing a threadbare coat and boots that are least two sizes too big. Lanny, who’s so thin that Evan honestly feared he could break her in half. Lanny, who’s five. Years. Old.

“...Alright, fine. Just let me grab my stuff.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey I haven't posted in a while! I'll try to keep the updates consistent (though I can't guarantee anything) and hopefuly I can actually finish this!


	2. Of Stairwells and Worn Brick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evan takes Lanny home, and runs into a familiar face in the process.

“Are you sure we’re in the right area?” The streetlights passed overhead, illuminating the car for a brief moment. In the rear view mirror, Evan could see Lanny staring out the window, the deep shadows under her eyes making her seem even more frail than usual. With a sigh, Evan turned his eyes back to the road.

“...Yeah, just take a left turn up here.” Lanny’s voice was no more than a whisper, and a hint shame laced her words.

“Wait, here? Seriously? This area is kinda, y’know--”

“Yeah I know. Just, turn down there. It’s the fourth building on the right.” 

The street was lined with decrepit buildings, all dimly lit with half working streetlights. Garbage resided in overflowing garbage cans if it wasn’t blowing across the street. Sidewalks were completely deserted, aside from the occasional stray cat trotting along. Needless to say, the street looked like something out of a horror movie.

“This one?” Evan stopped the car in front of a rundown brick building, with a single light on in one of the windows. The building was admittedly one of the nicer ones on the street, though that wasn’t saying much considering it’s neighbors.

“Crap, dad’s awake.”

“I thought you said he was sleeping!”

“I thought he was! He’s never awake this late!” Lanny threw her head into her hands. A few seconds later, she let out a sigh.

“Could you--like, I don’t know-- maybe walk me to my door? I don’t want my dad to think I was kidnapped or something.” Well, alright, at least her dad cares enough to worry about a potential kidnapping. ‘ _Why wouldn’t he? He’s not like your da-- no shut up, we’re not doing this now._ ’ Evan didn’t know what he was expecting from Lanny’s father honestly. On one hand, he’s apparently unaware of his five-year-old’s late night escapades, but on the other hand, he apparently houses enough concern that he’s awake waiting for her. 

“Sure, I’ll come up with you. Tell your dad what’s going on and all that.” With a bit of fumbling, the duo stepped out of the car and awkwardly stepped into the threshold of the apartment building. 

  
  


To the buildings credit, the interior wasn’t as bad as Evan thought it would be. A worn brown carpet led to a rickety looking elevator, and a small light hung in the center of the beige-walled room. Stairs that led to the second floor were on Evan and Lanny’s right, with a small reception desk--that probably hadn’t been used in years--residing on their left. 

“Second floor?”

“Second floor.” Lanny crept up the stairs, with Evan trailing closely behind her. With each step, the stairs creaked and groaned, which, if Evan wasn’t so focused on getting Lanny home, would probably had given him a minor panic attack. Every once in a while, the light that illuminated the stairwell would flicker out and leave them blindly traversing the steps. It was _fine_.

  
  


“Your place?”

“Yeah.” The door sat loosely in it’s frame, evident by the slivers of light visible from the bottom and sides. Chipped paint covered the door, and a worn brass knob glared at Evan as he brought his hand up to knock. Unfortunately-- or fortunately-- Evan didn’t get the chance to knock at all.

“Lanny! Where have been?! I’ve been worried!”

‘ _Oh, **no**_.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in a month? It's more likely than you think. This one's really short, but it's honestly just build up for the next chapter. The next one should be a bit longer ;)


	3. Coffee Mugs and Abandoned Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lanny gets a reprimand.

_‘I remember you.’_ Lanny had the decency to look guilty. Her eyes dropped down to her boots, her fingers toying with a stray thread on her coat. Evan, however, wasn’t paying attention to Lanny, he was staring at the girl’s father, slack jawed with the knowledge that _Connor Murphy had a kid._ Sure, his hair was short, and he looked a tad more tired than he did in high school, but it was definitely Connor.

 

“Did you bring her here? Where was she? How long was she there for?” Connor’s eyes finally locked on Evan’s, piercing blues staring into soulful greens. Evan could feel his palms start to sweat under Connor’s intense scrutiny. ‘ _I remember him, does he not remember me? I mean, I know I blended into the wall more often than not, but he signed my cast. Does he seriously not remember me? No of course he doesn’t remember you, you’re a wallflower, a barely in the background type of gu-’_

 

“Yeah, she was sitting at a table at Isak’s Bistro. She came in halfway through my last song I think.” Connor nodded quickly before ushering Lanny inside. Evan could see his hands shaking slightly, almost as if he was riding high on a wave of caffeine.

 

“Sorry about making you come all this way to drop her off. I was going to go looking for her, but then I saw you pull up.”

 

“No no, it’s fine. It’s no big deal.”

 

“Still, you deserve some thanks. Hey, you want some coffee or something? Just as a thanks.”

 

“Sure, if it’s no trouble of course.” Connor motioned for Evan to follow him inside the apartment. From the threshold of the apartment, Evan could see Lanny sitting on a sagging couch, struggling to pry off her boots.

 

“Hey, sweetie, hold on, I’ll help you with that.” Connor knelt in front of Lanny, his _daughter holy shit his daughter_ , and gently pulled off the winter boots. The boots were at least two sizes too big.

 

“Uhh, there should be coffee in the top left cabinet, closest to the fridge. It’s on the uhhhhh, second shelf in a white container.” The kitchen was to the right of the door, with dirty counters covered in old dishes. All of the appliances appeared to be at least 10 years old, with the fridge looking even older. The cupboard near the fridge was missing it’s door, leaving it’s contents out in the open. Or, better yet, it’s lack thereof.

 

“This one?”

 

“Yeah, that’s the-- no Lanny, you can’t stay up. You have school tomorrow, remember?” Evan turned to see a staring contest between Connor and Lanny taking place. Lanny’s protruding bottom lip starkly contrasted her unwavering gaze on Connor. To Connor’s credit, he seemed relatively unfazed by her display.

 

“I’m not tired.”

 

“I understand that, but you still need sleep.”

 

“I don’t wanna.”

 

“Lanny please--”

 

“No, I wanna stay up.”

 

“Lanny, _I_ need sleep.” That seemed to shake Lanny’s resolve a bit. Her eyes fell down to her toes, brown curls hanging around her head.

 

“...Can I say goodnight to Evan first?”

 

“Yes, as long as you go to bed right after, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Connor pressed a soft kiss to her temple, and brushed her hair out of her face.

 

“I’ll tuck you in after I start the coffee. Go get your PJ’s on.” With that, Lanny dragged herself to her room, with an air of melancholy trailing behind her. Just before entering her room, she glanced back at Evan.

 

“...Thanks for the ride. Goodnight Evan.”

 

“Ah, um, night Lanny.” The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving Evan and Connor alone for the time being. One ceramic mug sat on the counter, the quiet hum of the coffee maker reverberating around the tiny apartment. From Evan’s view in the living room, he could see the exhausted slump of Connor’s shoulders, and the way his knuckles protruded from his hands. It was a huge difference from the Connor he knew in high school.

 

“Here, I know it’s not much, but it’s all I really have and you look like you ne--”

“It’s fine! Thank you.” Evan could see the relief evident on Connor’s face. With some hesitation, Connor directed Evan to a tiny dining table covered in envelopes. As Evan sat down, he realized they were bills. Connor barely looked at them.

 

“Hey, not to be rude, but aren’t you gonna have some too?” Connor glanced up from his spot at the other end of the table.

 

“No, I only have enough for another half cup and I want to save it for my night shift.”

 

“Night shift?”

 

“Yeah, I work the night shift at the Newcastle Pub down the street as a bartender. That’s only on weekends though. During the week, I work at a liquor store from eight till five, and then I work as a dishwasher from ten till four.”

 

“...When do you sleep?”

 

“Bold of you to assume I sleep.” That elicited a snicker from Evan, and Connor gave him a slight smile in response. In the low light, Evan could see the slightest bit of silver in Connor’s hair.

 

“Is your name Evan Hansen?”

 

“What?”

 

“Sorry, I just--” Connor looked down at his boney fingers, picking at his nails.

 

“No no no, it’s fine, you just startled me. Yeah, my name is Evan Hansen. Why?” _Oh my god, does he actually remember me? Holy shit does he rememb--_

 

“Oh, shit, I thought you looked familiar! I shoved you on the first day of senior year, right?”

 

“Uhh, yeah, you did that.” _Holy shit he does._

 

“Jesus, I was an asshole. Sorry about that, I was just... going through some shit.”

 

“No, it’s fine I get it, it’s all fine.” Connor nodded and stood up, going over to Lanny’s bedroom to tuck her in. Evan could hear the shuffling and the whispered good night, followed by a soft click of a light switch. _He remembers me. Connor Murphy remembers me. Holy shit._

 

“Sorry ‘bout that, I just needed to--”

 

“It’s all good.” The couch groaned as Connor flopped himself down on it. A cloud of dust rose up, circling around the room before landing on the floor. Evan realized that there wasn’t a coffee table. Or a TV.

 

“Do you have work tonight?” No response. A soft snore reverberated through the room. Connor was sleeping.

 

“Or not.” As quietly as he could, Evan rinsed his mug in the sink. Setting it to dry on the counter, he found a pen rolled up against the wall. He rooted through the mess of bills on the table until he found an empty envelope, of which he proceeded to write his number down. With a light sigh, he headed for the door.

 

“Goodnight, Connor.”

  


_646-388-2473_

 

_Call me if you need anything. It was nice seeing you again._

_Goodnight_

_-Evan_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT IT'S BEEN A WHILE. So sorry for the wait you guys! School decided to kick my ass and I just did not have any time to work on this. It's Christmas break so hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner than this one was. Thanks for sticking around!

**Author's Note:**

> I posted a thing! I'm probably not gonna update this consistently, but imma try dammit. If you wanna scream about writing, plants, and musicals, my tumblr is @zoe-is-a-queer-icon :)


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